


the spaces between seconds

by acacias (vervains)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blind Date, Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Matchmaking, Reverse Fake Dating, Roommates, Tooth Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23906806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vervains/pseuds/acacias
Summary: as much as he loves their friends, mark wants this side of jeno—dazed eyes, disheveled hair and flushed cheeks—all to his own.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Mark Lee, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 181
Collections: nono birthday bash





	the spaces between seconds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mythological](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythological/gifts).



> yes, another one for mina. i hope it’s not a complete mess, sorry if this isn’t how you envisioned the prompt!

Some realisations happen in the spaces between seconds. Like with the act of breathing, they only register once you think about them, then consuming your every thought. Mark’s second is the one it takes for Jeno’s smile to turn into something different, and he  _ knows _ . And he can’t stop that knowing, the same way he can’t stop breathing. He wants to kiss Jeno; he has a vague thought that he might taste like the stars. 

They’re in Mark’s room under the golden sheen of the fairy lights they’d strung up, drunk on their dreams and the whiskey that he swiped from his Dad’s liquor cabinet. An awkward, fumbling mass of limbs on his too-small bed, they press their hands against each other’s mouths to keep the drunken giggles from slipping past. Mark blames the alcohol for thinking how soft Jeno’s lips feel under his fingers, how the happiness oozes from him and Mark just wants to soak it all up. 

The want is dizzying, the back of his eyelids burning with the image of his smiling best friend. He’s uncertain which of them moves first (a lie, Mark’s always been the more selfish one) but then they’re in each other’s arms and the alcohol does nothing to slow Mark’s heartbeat or hinder the way his hands find Jeno’s, fingers weaving together as if they’ve always belonged. He doesn’t taste like the stars but more familiar, an ode to a shared past and promise of a future to come.

They’ve kissed many times since then but he’s especially fond of that one. Their first kiss that rewrote his fond memories with Jeno, turning the black and white footage of their life into a montage coloured in shades of gold for each time Mark has fallen for his best friend without even knowing it. With Jeno, things are natural. There is no abrupt switch from best friends to boyfriends; Jeno still picks Mark up from his dorm, Mark makes cassette mixes for Jeno with handwritten titles, Thursday lunches with their friends are still on, and they play Mario Kart on the weekends.

It’s the same relationship they’ve had since they were partnered in middle school science class; being each other’s quiet support and knowing what they want without having to ask for it. The only difference is they sprinkle a few kisses here and there (don’t blame Mark, Jeno’s moles are always asking to be kissed) and on occasion, more. He doesn’t know when they decide to keep their relationship quiet from their friends;  _ in a bit _ , both of them say, but the days drag into months and they all remain none the wiser.

Jeno tells him he feels bad one day, while they’re squished together on his couch, legs curled up to keep from dangling off the edge. Mark agrees, even as his fingers move through Jeno’s blonde hair. It’s not as if they’re outright  _ lying;  _ they just skirt around Jaemin’s and Donghyuck’s questions about whether they’re seeing anyone. Mark’s just glad that for once, Jeno’s being selfish too, apparent in the way he leans up to press a kiss to Mark’s temple, whispering that he wants to keep this to themselves. For a little longer, they keep saying.

A thrill runs up Mark’s spine each time they hurriedly pull at their clothing and hope the colour on their faces goes unnoticed whenever they have to sneak around their friends. One time, Donghyuck almost caught them making out in the back of Jeno’s car and Mark had thought he would die on the spot. He remembers the redness on Jeno’s face, the way his hand had  _ still  _ found its way back to Mark’s thigh after Donghyuck’s suspicions passed. His ears burned the entire ride back but he would do it the same all over again. As much as he loves their friends, Mark wants this side of Jeno—dazed eyes, disheveled hair and flushed cheeks—all to his own.

It’s a little funny when Donghyuck and Jaemin try to set them up with other people. Those two have never seen a problem with flaunting their relationship; they’re the type of people who sing their love into the world hoping that everyone finds the tune as melodic as they do. They’ve remained the same since high school, in a constant battle of wits whilst still being head over heels in love, always finding their way back to each other. It’s natural that they want their friends to experience the same thing, but also hilarious how they fail to notice all the thinly-veiled glances, lingering touches and half-smiles between Jeno and Mark.

Mark gets roped into their matchmaking during one of their Thursday meetups, at a cosy cafe in the neighbourhood. It’s a chilly evening, and Mark is looking forward to some coffee with his friends but the glint in Jaemin’s eyes tells him something is wrong. There’s an extra person at their table, a server that he recognizes from coming here often. He’s small and pretty in a delicate way, like glass. But beneath the white-blonde hair and soft eyes, Mark reminds himself that glass cuts.  _ Renjun,  _ he soon learns, is a classically-trained dancer studying Humanities at their university.

And single, from the way he instructs Mark to wait until his shift’s over, his smile dizzying. The words stay in Mark’s head long after he’s accosted by his scheming friends. They think Renjun’s perfect, blunt enough to combat Mark’s tactful nature and smart enough to challenge him. He feels bad listening to them gush about how good they would be together when beneath the bitterness of his coffee, he can still taste Jeno’s lip balm from when they kissed each other goodbye. Mark’s only slightly less terrible at saying no to people than his boyfriend though, so stays behind even when his friends leave. Waiting, worrying.

He’s quite shit at confrontation, trying to find the best way to break the news but Renjun talks so much and jumps from one question to another that it’s hard to break in. He’s everything his friends said, so much enthusiasm packed into his tiny frame, all bright eyes and spirit. When Mark finally works up the courage, it’s because of his intensity, the way all his actions seem to have genuine intent behind them. Guilt lies sour on Mark’s tongue when Renjun’s expressions do a dance between confusion, embarrassment and knowing.

_ I’m seeing someone.  _ It’s the first time he’s said the words aloud and any other time, it would have hit him harder.

His reaction isn’t what Mark expects. There’s a bit of impatience ( _ you could have told me that earlier) _ but no real anger. Renjun even looks, dare he say, a little touched, a little amused when Mark pours out his heart about Jeno, about their secret. It’s surreal describing Jeno to someone who doesn’t know him and Mark doesn’t know what words to use. He stumbles his way through it but Renjun doesn’t falter once, serious and  _ listening,  _ as if he understands how important this is to Mark even though they’ve just met. Somehow, it’s freeing to tell someone, as if he’s putting it out there for the universe to come to its own conclusion.

Renjun isn’t the universe nor does he strike Mark as dreamy, the type to waste time thinking about things like these. If anything, he has both feet planted on the ground. Despite that, he gets it, the feeling of being comfortable in their little bubble, not having to worry about changing dynamics or outside opinions. Still, he advises Mark in no sugar-coated terms to stop being an idiot and tell his friends about him and Jeno. Unless, he adds, he wants to be hit on by more unsuspecting servers, which of course makes Mark blush and stutter. He seems to like that. 

His final words stay with Mark for weeks later. They make him rush home, hurrying past the rain-slick streets, his black hair matted across his forehead and his jacket forgotten at the café. Halfway through, he runs, almost aching with the need to see Jeno. 

_ “Of all things you can keep to yourselves, love is the worst choice. You think you can hide it but it already shows.” _

When he gets there, the book on the coffee table tell him Jeno’s back from work; he always borrows something for Mark each day. This time, it’s a book on post-punk musicals, and the simple act and the thought behind it makes his heart swell, his feet rooted to the spot until Jeno’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts. 

Mark doesn’t have to say anything for Jeno to envelop him in a hug despite the fact that he’s dripping water onto the hardwood and Jeno’s fresh after a shower. All words abandon Mark as his boyfriend fusses over him (you forgot your jacket  _ again _ , didn’t you?). He’s coaxed into dry clothes, Jeno sitting him down on the couch and taking a towel to his wet hair. Jeno doesn’t force him to say anything, only lets out a helpless sigh when Mark’s arms wrap around him, hands meeting at the curve of his back. It’s almost instantaneous, the way Jeno’s presence and the gentleness with which he wipes his hair loosens the knots that have formed in his gut. 

God, Mark’s in love and for the first time, he wants the whole world to know.

He envies Jeno’s calmness as he tells him what happened. He doesn’t mind the thought of finding out what he looks like when he’s jealous, but knows it’ll never come. Jeno, his patient, kind, wonderful Jeno just listens, letting Mark rest his head on his shoulder. Doesn’t so much as blink at the mention of Renjun, even cracks a smile at how he slipped Mark his number in case he’s ever again in need of emotional support, though he assures Mark he won’t need to.

Because he’s here for him, and if Mark wants it, Jeno will shout their relationship from the rooftop. Of course he thinks it’s nice, even fun to keep this secret but Jeno doesn’t want Mark to think, even for a second, that he’s hiding him. There’s no way, he says, no way he can hide his feelings for Mark. He couldn’t do it when they were friends (were they ever  _ just  _ that?) and he can’t do it now. His love for Mark will always spill out of him, so if Mark wants, he will show the entire world just how it can’t be contained.

His boyfriend’s soft, doting words almost make him cry but Mark settles for kissing him, his lips ghosting over the tip of Jeno’s nose and the pretty mole under his eye before ending up over his mouth. He doesn’t even think of his childish notion of stars anymore. He’s gotten used to Jeno tasting more like everything at once; all of what they’ve been through and things that are yet to come. And between their kisses, when Jeno gives Mark some space to breathe, to  _ think  _ over the hammering of his heart, he tells him he loves him. 

And he says it over and over, partly because he loves how shy it makes him and partly because he can’t tell Jeno  _ I love you _ just once. He deserves to hear them repeated during every second Mark can spare, like they’re the words to a nostalgic song that he can’t get out of his head. When Jeno whispers it back, his breath mingling with Mark’s, urgent hands tugging at his damp hair, it’s an unspoken agreement that they don’t mind letting everyone know. After all, it makes sense that something this warm, soothing and  _ whole  _ should be shared.

Later, when they manage to tear away from each other and Mark’s given up kissing Jeno in lieu of curling up against him, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest, he finally understands Donghyuck’s and Jaemin‘s love. And when with laughing eyes, Jeno confesses that their friends told him about the “date” from the start, he can only say that he’s glad for their meddling from the bottom of his heart.

—  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> tried something new with this one, pretty different from my usual writing style that relies heavily on dialogue and describing actions, not sure how to feel about it but i hope you enjoyed!
> 
> prompt: au where they are dating but no one knows it so their friends try to set them up with other people.
> 
> get in touch with me below:
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/dawnblushes)   
>  [cc](https://curiouscat.me/vervains)


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